Dexter - then & now

Earlier this week, Dexter decided while playing in the field across the street that he was going to get as muddy as possible. This resulted in bath afterwards. All of Dexter's fur makes him look much bigger than he his. When he's wet, you get a better picture of his actual size. Seeing him after this last bath really made me realize how much he's grown in the seven months that we've had him. Here are some pictures of Dexter, both wet and dry, at eight weeks old and nine months old.

Fashion throwback - kind of

Chad and I went out last night for some food and drinks at Donahue's in Watertown. When it came time to decide on a handbag, I went with this L.A.MB. bag. Even though this bag isn't my usual style, just seeing it makes me smile. Way back when, when I was bartending at the N.M.B. Alehouse in Miami, one of my customers came in with a larger version of this bag and I fell in love. My friend, Norie Anne also loved the bag. We loooked everywhere for it, from Bloomingdales to Saks to Nordstrom. One morning I walked past Urban Outfitters and saw our coveted bag in there. I ran in, grabbed two, and gave Norie Anne a call let her know I had finally found them. Misson accomplished! Like I said before, this bag isn't my normal style choice, and my friend, Alex, made the perfect comment when telling me why - that it looked like something styled by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

Dexter & the moose

Dexter wasn't feeling too great this morning. He had an upset stomach due to his obsession with eating leaves. When I made a run to Whole Foods to buy some milk, I found myself in the pet section and ended up buying him a toy moose to make him feel better. I'm pretty sure it helped.

New fashion trends

While flipping through the latest Elle, I noticed a fashion trend I'm really into, and one that I hope was just fashion editor, Anne Slowey's, idea of a joke.

I'm really like the new bondage trend (but only the ones that look like ballet slipper ribbons wrapping around you, not the trashy call girl-esque designs). I'm loving this crepe shiftdress by Thakoon.

What I'm not loving is the shift back to the crop top. The only person I could possibly see pulling this off is Selma Blair's character in Kath & Kim. This Alexander Wang look screams trailer park.

The best chocolate chip cookies out there!

I made chocolate chip cookies last night and want to share this recipe with everyone. It is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever used. The cookies are always super delicious every single time I make them. The recipe comes from my Baking Illustrated cook book.


Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Place formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway though the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

She's a different woman

I have to admit that I was quite the Dawson's Creek fan in high school. Joey Potter was a character I thought I could relate to and aspired to be more like. Once I entered college, Dawson's Creek just didn't appeal to me anymore and I lost track of Ms. Holmes. I'm not the fan I used to be and have to say that I've not been impressed by her acting skills. That combined with her ultra weird public courtship and then marriage to Tom Cruise has put her onto my "a celeb i'm just not that into" list. Yes, she does have an ultra-adorable kid and has grown-up style wise since her marriage to Tom, but it's all seemed a little strange to me. Alas, I saw this Miu Miu ad today and was blown away. She seems to have shed her Joey Potter and Tom's wife looks for one that shows a personality she's been hiding her entire life. I love it and hope to see more of this side of Katie in the future.

Don't let me back out!

I've decided to enter a race. My most recent Fitness magazine had a section on training for a half-marathon. I thought, "Well, I don't think I'd ever want to run a half-marathon - but I could go for something shorter." I signed up for the Cambridge City Run. It's a 5-miler. I've been in "training" for a couple weeks and I'm now up to 3 miles. I just registered for the run yesterday to make it official and so that I don't punk out. I'm trying to convince Chad to run it with me, but I'm not sure he's all that into it. The best part about the race is that it starts and ends a block away from my place!

Corn Souffle

Tonight I made a corn souffle as a side for dinner. It was so yummy! I got the recipe from Fitness magazine.







Corn Souffle Recipe

4 tbs. butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs. flour
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk (I only had whole - I used that)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pound fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained (I used frozen & didn't thaw them)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat butter with sugar. Stir in flour until blended; remove from heat. Stir in milk, eggs, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Fold in corn. Spoon into a 1-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Let stand for 15 minutes.

If anyone tries this recipe, let me know how you like it!

Fire trucks everywhere

While on a walk with Dexter this morning, we heard loud sirens coming in our direction. It turned out that our neighbor's home had smoke coming out of the second floor and attic windows. Within a matter of minutes, the street was blocked off and completely taken over by multiple fire trucks, an ambulance and police officers. As far as I know, no one was hurt and there wasn't any serious damage done.